Royal Order to Establish RCO

We, Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, King of Bahrain,
In pursuance of the Constitution, ‬
Amiri Order No. (53) of 2001 Reorganizing the Royal Court, as amended by Royal Order No. (5) of 2002, and Amiri Order No. (25) of 2005 establishing the Orphans Sponsorship Committee as amended by Royal Order No. (12) of 2007,
We ordered the following:‬
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Article (1)‬
An organization under the name "Royal Charity Organization" shall be established and His Majesty the King shall be its Honorary President.

Article (2)‬
The Royal Charity Organization (RCO) shall have a headquarters, and may set up branches across the Kingdom by a resolution of the Board of Trustees.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Article (3)

RCO shall carry out charity and philanthropic works and undertake a humanitarian, social and economic role for the benefit of citizens. It shall particularly undertake the following:‬

Sponsor widows and orphans and look after the elderly and people with special needs;‬

Provide social, medical and educational assistance and contribute to alleviating burdens of living on needy families;

Contribute to setting up and developing non-profit social and charity projects, such as orphanages, elderly, child and handicapped care centres, kindergartens, and rehabilitation of needy families, health rehabilitation centres‬;

Participate in sustainable development work, such as supporting small and medium enterprises, allocating land for social and charity projects and coordinating with government authorities in charge of implementing such projects; and‬

Any other charity activities commanded by His Majesty the King, RCO's Honorary President, or approved by the Board of Trustees.

Article (4)‬

(a) RCO shall have a Board of Trustees comprising a chairman, vice-chairman and seven members of the public figures, three of whom represent the Ministry of Social Development, Ministry of Housing and Ministry of Education, and occupy a position not lower than the status of Assistant Undersecretary, and they shall be appointed via a Royal Order for a period of four years subject to renewal.

(b) The Board of Trustees shall oversee the management of RCO and shall have all the powers necessary to achieve its objectives. It shall, in particular, undertake the following:

Approve RCO's budget and monitor its implementation in accordance with the financial and accounting laws in force in the Kingdom;‬

Approve plans for investing the financial surpluses and employing the assets owned by RCO;‬

Review and approve the quarterly and final financial accounts of RCO; and‬

Approve coordination plans on social and charitable work with public and private bodies.‬

(c) The Board of Trustees shall meet at least four times a year. The Board's Chairman may call for a meeting at any time, and the meeting shall be deemed valid if attended by the majority of its members, provided the Board's Chairman or Vice-Chairman is present. Its decisions shall be adopted by a majority vote of those in attendance.

(d) If the position of one of the members of the Board of Trustees becomes vacant for any reason, another member shall be appointed in his place in the same manner and process prescribed in Clause (a) of this Article. The new member shall complete the term of his/her predecessor.

Article (5)

The Board of Trustees shall issue the relevant Implementing Rules which shall include RCO's organizational structure, organization of personnel affairs, and any other matters necessary for the organization of its work.

Article (6)‬

The Board of Trustees shall, at its first meeting, form an Executive Committee under the leadership of the Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees and membership of four members specializing in administrative and financial affairs and philanthropy to manage RCO's affairs, provided RCO's Secretary-General shall be a member therein.

RCO's Secretary-General shall be appointed by a royal decree based on the nomination by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees.‬

The Head of the Executive Committee shall be responsible before to the Board of Trustees for the functioning of RCO from the technical, administrative and financial aspects, and he shall, in particular, do the following:‬

Implement the decisions of the Board of Trustees;‬

Propose the recruitment, training and development plan;

Develop proposals necessary to achieve RCO's objectives; and‬

Undertake any other duties entrusted to him by the Board of Trustees.

The Board of Trustees may delegate to the Executive Committee some of its powers for a specified term .

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Article (7)‬

The Secretary-General shall be responsible for managing the RCO and conducting its technical, administrative and financial affairs, following up on progress, proposing plans and programs, and undertaking any other works entrusted to him by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees or Head of the Executive Committee.

Article (8)‬

RCO shall have an independent budget, which includes its revenues and expenditures. The beginning and end of RCO's fiscal year shall correspond to the State's fiscal year.‬

RCO's resources consist of the following:

The funds allocated by the Royal Court to RCO.

The grants and donations offered by individuals and institutions through donations, grants, wills, or endowments approved by the Board of Trustees. It may also receive, as per the same conditions, the proceeds of endowments and zakat allocated to their legitimate channels covered by RCO's objectives. RCO may not receive any funds from a foreign entity without the approval of the Board of Trustees.

A special account shall be opened with a bank for RCO's funds, and the surplus balance in this account at the end of each year shall be carried forward to the next year.

Article (9)

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees shall present an annual report to His Majesty the King and RCO's Honorary President, stating RCO's outcomes, final accounts, proposals necessary to develop it, and the obstacles standing in its way.

Article (10)‬

This Royal Order shall be effective upon issuance and shall be published in the Official Gazette.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬